JO

The first 100 pages of this picaresque are hilarious, then it begins to run out of steam. The running joke, that the protagonist is too incompatent to carry off any assasination, is not funny enough to carry an entire book. After Dimitri bungled his second assasination attempt I became bored sensing that there were no more surprises in store, and there weren't. Some of the historical references are interesting and others are flat. People who have never seen Zelig or Forrest Gump might find this story original, but it isn't. There is a theory among Brazilian television comedians like Jo Soares that there are only a limited number of jokes in the world and that they can be repeated over and over again with slight variations and people will still laugh. 12 Fingers suggests otherwise.

I read both of Soare's books and it was surprised to see that 'A Samba For Sherlock' actually got higher remarks. I love this book and while I agree with some of the comments that the story is not much original (Forrest Gump) it's nevertheless a very good plot and some interesting historical facts. Read it, you'll like it!

This book refer to a young boy that was born on Banja Luka, Bósnia, he is different from other children because, he has twelve fingers in his hands, he believes this attribute is a god sign. When he was teen, he went to anarchist school where he learned about making bombs, and to operate guns.
When he was a young man, became odder murderer and accidentally participates of biggest crimes and tragic events of the history between Ferdinando Marcos's murder, the arrest of spy Mata Hari, murder of socialist deputy Jean Jaurés in Paris, in 1914. Picasso draw Dimitri in a napkin, in Brasserie Lipp, in 1917 and Fernando Pessoa participates of an esoteric session in the anarchist's company. He "Helps" the actor George Raft in the filming of Ben-Hur (1925), and Al Capone in the gangsters's world of Chicago. Has participated of the attack, unsuccessful, to the president Franklin Delano Roosevelt, in Miami.
The book is a travel on the world modern history, the author with his singular culture make the reader enjoy a lot while reading. The book is a great classic of Brazilian literature; and the author is considered one of the smarter man in Brazil.

This was too much like a text book. Nurses at our facility said "send it back" it is not user friendly!!

...That about says it all. This is THE pre-eminent reference for critical care nursing. Excellent as a resource for the novice, advanced enough for the expert practitioner and everyone in between the ends of the spectrum. Lots of good tables and examples to illustrate points, and is, for the most part, easy to read. I use mine everyday in practice as a clinical educator and after 18 years, I still find things in there that I either didn't know or tidbits that help me clarify points for my students/orientees. Worth the money!

Negatives: Expensive. There are not enough diagrams and pictures. Leaves much to the imagination. Some areas not well organized. Positives: most detailed textbook related to critical care without being a medical textbook and cater toward nursing. Excellent pathophysiology descriptions. Everything is broken down to the most basic cellular level. I never knew how much I did not know until I read this book. Highly recommended.

I was pleased with about the first five chapters of this book containing lists on how to put together a 72 hour kit, and how to stock a pantry, a system that prepares you for more than just Y2K, (eg. being out of work for a period of time). When it came to looking up some of the resources listed however, particularly readiness books available, I was disappointed. Of 32 books that I was interested in buying, 16 were out of print, three were not available anywhere that I could find, and others had outdated and obsolete information. I feel "Pantry" also employs far too many scare tactics, and was disconcerted to see canning and gardening books listed alongside books demonstrating the how-to's of using the black market, looting, ambushing, poaching, and searching through dumpsters for food! I think by far the problem facing us in 2000 is no longer the millenium bug so much as the increasing panic generated from reading books such as "pantry" that employ scare tactic methods (undoubtably for the purpose of persuading you to buy the products advertised throughout the book). I bought "Pantry" in search of pantry and canning resources and information. My advice: If you want information and have access to the internet, do a search for Y2K, Pantry, Canning, etc and find plenty of resources and info, some of which, if you are still inclined to prepare, carry supplies and pantry kits at far lower prices than those advertised in this book.

Family preparedness has always been important, no more so today. However with the purported "Y2K" scare, "survivalists", and other fear mongers have a new tool to push their agenda. Having read "Making the Best of Basics" I was surprised and saddened that this book uses the same scare tactics so prevalent on the internet and employed by those who stand to profit from "Y2K". I was disgusted by the chapter on buying precious metals. I cannot think of a less wise investment for those who truly wish to be prepared

James Stevens has done a fantastic job of providing information on how to FIND preparedness products and companies. Some people can buy storage food and equipment at stores appearing on every street corner, but most of us have to scratch our heads and fret and stew, wondering where to even BEGIN looking for the things we need to learn to be more self-sufficient. Thanks, James, for a wonderful resource book that makes it EASY to get prepared. Rita Bingham

I wrote a review after I had gone through a few chapters, and I said there were "some" math errors... there are at least 50 critical math errors, including errors in the tables of trig integrals you're told to memorize. Don't buy this edition!

There is no excuse for the amount of errors in this book. Teaching/Learning from it is impossible because many of the examples, explanations, and answers in the back are dead wrong. I strongly urge any student seeking calculus help to use a real textbook.

This book manages to do what other traditional calculus textbooks sometimes fail to do, which is to make calculus clear and understandable by using real life examples.

There are mistakes in the section where you can check your answers (first edition), so this book is best used as a supplement to a traditional calculus text. Using the new way of approaching calculus taught in this book and solving the problems in your required calculus text is the way to go.

This book teaches a new way of THINKING about calculus, from the ground up. If you are a person who finds yourself confused by the WAY calculus is being taught, and you know you're not an ignorant person, this book is definitely worth a try.

It is refreshing to have a book that explains calculus as though you're NOT a mathematical genius. I DON'T have a Ph.D, so it's great to read a book that doesn't require one by the time you get to page four.

A person can learn from this book in spite of the first edition errors. A corrected second edition would get 5 stars.

If you have played through Indiana Jones and the Infernal Machine for the PC, you know how hard the game is. How hard it is to get through some of the levels and find all the treasures, or finding the key to open the door. First the good news. This guide is a mammoth help in getting through the game. It is written in a easy to understand format, it tells you the quickest way to solve the really difficult puzzles and tells you all the suprises to expect during the game. Now for the "Cursed" part. First off, printing a guide in black and white screenshots is a big no no in the video game relm. Also having no maps of the levels is also a big no no (but in the publishers defense, the levels are INCREDIBLY large, so it would be nearly impossible to create maps). Also having no real stratigeys on the bad guys is a big minus. But other than that, this is a good guide and definitially needed. (NOTE: this review is written for the N64 version of this guide, but the information for both guides is basically the same).

The Good: Well written and laied out.

The bad: Black and white screenshots is a big no no, no maps and combat stratey is a big minus

and the Ugly: None

I recieved the game on PC for christmas but couldn't figure where to go in the game. I bought the guide and right off the bat, I had some gripes. The pages have no color. This makes the screenshots hard to see where Indy is. Then I saw the full color insert. They are WOW! Other than that, It's very helpful in information as to where everything is. I only wished they put some color into the screenshots.:)

This is a great game guide made by Prima, that will help you with the PC game, Indiana Jones and the Infernal Machine. When I got the game, I beat it, but I didn't find all the cool secrets and hidden areas until I got this manual. It will help you alot. It has screenshots of every move you can make in the game! Also, as a bonus, there are color photos and drawings of the game, and some original posters too. If adventure has a game stragegy guide, it must be.............. Indiana Jones!!!

The book seemed to be more about gender issues than piracy, female or otherwise. Not at all what I had hoped for.

Anyone setting out to publish a book on pirates has to bridge the difficult ground between good scholarship and popular public perception, and a book on women pirates has to span and even bigger gap between legend and documented reality. Jo Stanley takes a new approach to this, which is more successful than many.

This is partly because of her bright and breezy writing style. While headings such as "A cool look at a hot topic" seem startling at first, and the feminist message is somewhat pro forma, the main thrust is surprisingly beguiling, mostly because the reader is so irresistibly tugged into the slipstream of Stanley's energy and enthusiasm.

Another reason the book works well is the caliber of the guest contributors. While just 77 pages are devoted to their essays, the impressive quality outweighs the lack of space. All three writers are dedicated and gifted scholars, and each has made some aspect of the topic peculiarly her own. Anne Chambers is the authority on Grace O'Malley, "Pirate Queen of Ireland," while Dian Murray ("Cheng I Sao in fact and fiction") is as wellknown for her insight into Chinese pirates as Julie Wheelwright ("Tars, tarts, and swashbucklers") is for her studies of cross-dressed female soldiers and seamen.

What I found most striking, though, is the cohesive quality of this collection. In most anthologies each essay has its own tone and style, which too often jars with the technique of the preceding or following contribution, the editor(s) looking for little more than academic credibility and adherence to a common theme. Here, all three specialists have taken pains to match the editor's straightforward, frank approach, but without sacrificing solid information and excellent writing.

This success if due in no small way to Jo Stanley's considerable talents as an editor and organizer. As the coordinator of the Women and the Sea network at the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London, she is obviously the right woman in the right place at the right time.

Despite the fact that a lot of the book is not spent on actual biographies of these fascinating women, I would recommend it. A large part of the book is spent on what ecomonic/social conditions led these women into piracy, and whether or not they were prostitutes, lesbians, or cross-dressed as men. However, the most engrossing chapters deal with the events of their lives and give us a closer look at women who were certainly exceptional (in their courage and also sometimes ruthlessness). I especially liked that it dealt with female pirates from various time periods and nationalities - from ancient Greece right up to modern day Asia. Overall, it's an interesting tale of a frequently overlooked part of history.

I actually had the professor who wrote this book for a class. I did not like the book at all. For a beginner as I was with no programming experience some of the examples led to more confusion than they solved. Some of the examples will build on code that you read several pages to several chapters back in the book and flipping back and forth to figure out what was done is annoying. The book is not all bad though I still use it some for reference since I paid 100 dollars or so for it when it was brand new... but if you are looking for a beginners introduction to C++ code go with a Schaums(sp?) outline or something that is more of a reference than this book which can be wordy at times.

They had us buy this book for the introduction to programming classes. The book is probably best suited to beginner to intermediate level programmers. It is not really suited to a person who has not programmed before. The book has a problem with advanced details, but I wouldn't expect any with an introduction. The problem sets and the glossary at the end of each chapter may be a huge help . . . especially if you have trouble coming up with a problem to solve by programming. My professor did use some of the problem sets right out of the book. The book has design in the title, but it does not discuss design well enough, only programming itself. An Introduction to Object-Oriented Programming in C++ might make for a more accurate title (if that name isn't taken). If a book actually discusses design, the reader of it may have to already know programming basics.

As the title says, this book takes an OO approach to learning C++ from the beginning. Rather than focusing on C++ syntax (data types, functions, pointers, etc.) as a means to write simple programs in the early chapters and leaving OO syntax (classes, objects, inheritance, etc.) until later chapters, this book focuses on OO concepts (objects, attributes, behaviors, etc.) from the start and introduces syntax as needed to flesh out the OO concepts. This clearly reinforces the notion that C++ is much more than advanced C syntax, but is a whole new way of organizing programs from the beginning. This is a little daunting, but I gather that this is how C++ programming is done in the real world and serves as a frame of reference to organize the C++ syntax into coherent groups. At the same time, their discussion of the details of C++ is excellent -especially since these discussions are simultaneously tied in with the general concepts unique to OO programming. Overall, this is a challenging, somewhat unique approach to C++ programming that I liked. It is not for the faint-of-heart, and probably deserves to be read more than once.

Not a particularly skillful accounting of John's journey. Not particularly insightful, either. I found myself wondering about what was left out of the book. More behind the scenes information would have given us more with which to connect to John.

I thought this book was interesting, just because it is the only book that is written about the man and not the horse training principles he usually writes about. Also, if you pay close attention to the last chapter you can find plenty of "behind the scenes" information if you read between the lines. He certainly has had a rough life and been through a lot more than I thought. And although I thought he had trained horses all his life, that wasn't the case. Definately worth reading and the pictures are gorgeous.

I think this book was very insightful regarding a man famous for his work with horses. I sometimes got the feeling that the 'dirt' was being left out, but the book was entertaining and insightful nonetheless.

I was absolutely smitten by the beauty of the projects in this book. While I have done some beading in the past I have not tackled flowers so I jumped in. Unfortunately, I soon found out that the instructions are not well written. If you can read you should be able to make anything described. There are many steps left out. What a waste. I would not recommend this book for the beginner to learn from.

Although this book has beautiful photos of each finished project, it does not include step-by-step illustrations, relying almost entirely on verbal directions. This book is great for people who are already familiar with bead/wire techniques and can translate mental pictures from the directions. It is less beneficial for those who are new to the subject.

Ooooooooooooooooh, I *LOVE* this book. The photos are gorgeous; each time I see them, I feel greatly inspired. The directions are clear. Although I still consider Virginia Nathanson's and Virginia Osterland's beaded flower books the best ever written,
this book contains numerous clear diagrams -- as well as innumerable gorgeous, diversified projects. I highly recommend it.

This 2000 book follows the typical "action" book where an evil greedy doctor causes havoc until he's caught, with far-right religious fanatics thrown in for laughs.
In this story, after a large bomb explosion in Los Angeles leaves sixteen dead and twenty-eight injured, the FBI demands that all the injured be treated at our heroine's hospital, Memorial Hospital, AND that the incredibly brilliant, beautiful and desirable Joanna perform all the autopsies herself -- autopsies which largely involve examining small body parts.
Of course, as always, Joanna is perfection itself: her supervisor can't "believe someone so young and pretty could have that much brains." And her sometimes-boyfriend Jake? Goldberg says, twice in ten pages, "Jake was so damn good-looking."
In contrast, Murdock, the supervisor with whom Joanna frequently squabbles, "was aging so rapidly. His hair was now snow white, his face heavily lined and dotted with prominent age spots." Goldberg's message? In-group folks are Beautiful, while not-in-the-cool-group people age prematurely. Yet Goldberg frequently reports Joanna and Jake smoking. What's so attractive about that?
Affected by being in the same city with Jake, Joanna turns to making Neanderthal threats: when the Boxing Commission won't turn over confidential records, Joanna threatens to confiscate all their files and issue a subpoena forcing the entire Boxing Commission to help search the files. To convince a rehab clinic to hand over its confidential records, Jake and Joanna threaten to "red-tape every office and door in this building and put a cop by each of them to make sure no chart or record leaves.... And it will stay that way -- until some judge sorts everything out for us." Jake tells a man's new widow, "if you're lying to me, you're going to need an attorney. A real good one."
Bloopers and fractured history abound in this book.
Triangulation of cell phone calls is NOT done "by plotting the lines of transmissions as they bounced off the satellite orbiting high above the earth." Cell phones do NOT directly transmit to, or receive from, satellites. Goldberg continues, "That was how they located O.J. Simpson in his Bronco on the freeway." Sorry, wrong again! What really happened in the O.J. case is that another driver recognized A.C. Cowlings as the Bronco passed, and phoned O.J.'s location to the police.
Goldberg claims that an AK-47 can "fire a hundred rounds in seconds." While the top rate of fire of an AK-47 is six hundred rounds per minute, the rifle never fires a hundred rounds in seconds because its magazine size is thirty or forty rounds, and the barrel overheats quickly. Goldberg carries this lack of understanding into his rant against so-called Saturday night specials and "assault weapons." (Later, in Deadly Harvest, Goldberg confuses a .223 caliber bullet with a .50 caliber bullet.)
Goldberg claims that Idaho vital statistics records are only kept in the county courthouse. As in most or all states, copies of Idaho vital statistics are kept in the state capital.
Goldberg has the President's fictional secret service agent, Jack Youngblood, constantly worry about a replay of the Kennedy assassination, without mentioning whether Goldberg's "Jack Youngblood" is related to the real-life Rufus Youngblood, LBJ's secret service agent during the JFK assassination, and later deputy director of the agency. It is historically unclear whether JFK ordered agents off the rear bumper, and whether agents in that location could have prevented or lessened harm to JFK.
What's the ending? Oh yes, Joanna escapes a perilous situation, with Jake's help, and saves the day. Surprised? I think not. The only real decision Joanna faces in this book is which man to date. And Jake is faced with no challenges but to do his job, threaten those who cross him, and pursue the goddess Joanna.
This book is not recommended, unless you're competing in the "See How Many Mistakes YOU Can Find" contest, or thoroughly enjoy one-dimensional wooden characters.

Lethal Measures -- revised version --
by Leonard Goldberg
=    #5 in the Lethally Poor Joanna Blalock/Jake Sinclair series
Reviewer: Frank from Los Altos
*spoilers*
This 2000 book follows the typical "action" book where an evil greedy doctor causes havoc until he's caught, with far-right religious fanatics thrown in for laughs.
In this story, after a large bomb explosion in Los Angeles home with sixteen dead and twenty-eight injured, the FBI demands that all the injured be treated at our heroine's hospital, Memorial Hospital, AND that the incredibly brilliant, beautiful and desirable Joanna perform all the autopsies herself -- autopsies which largely involve examining small body parts.
Of course, as always, Joanna is perfection itself: her supervisor can't "believe someone so young and pretty could have that much brains." And her sometimes-boyfriend Jake? Joanna says, "He was so damn good-looking." Lest we miss the point, ten pages later we read, "Jake was so damn good-looking."

I was browsing a local bookstore when I ran across this paperback edition of Dr. Goldberg's lastest Joanna Blalock/Jake Sinclair installment. If one has not tried this series and like such thrillers as ones written by Ridley Pearson, Michael Palmer and Robin Cook...READ THIS!

I have been a Joanna Blalock/Jake Sinclair fan since the beginning installments of these characters written by Dr. Goldberg. I look forward to each new installment as much as I look forward to the Daphne Matthews/Lou Boldt installments from Ridley Pearson. I purchased the book on late Friday afternoon and had it finished by Sunday morning! It's like taking a breath taking ride on an awesome rollercoaster. In a couple of places my hearts was pumping so hard out of suspense that I actually had to put the book down before flipping the page in a few minutes.

There are very few authors that I buy their books unseen or without ever cracking open the inside of the cover jacket to read the synopsis. Dr. Goldberg is among one of the elite to which I do this for. I usually purchase my books in the hardback version once they hit the bookshelves but somehow, this installment got passed me. I was most pleasantly surprised when I ran across the paperback version.

Try it! You'll like it!